


Tuesdays in the Cave of Wonders

by Shipperqueen



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Rumbelle Secret Santa 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 17:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9335951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shipperqueen/pseuds/Shipperqueen
Summary: Tuesdays were Mr. Gold's favorite day, it was the day he got to spend with Belle alone for hours. But when Belle is late one day and starts acting suspiciously things take a different change.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Owlofmylove for the RSS. Basically one of the only things I wrote this year and I had quite a bit of fun with it. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Domhnall Gold wasn’t rushing, that would imply that he was late for something or someone. He was simply moving faster than he normally did because he always was at Cave of Wonders by nine-thirty, it had nothing to do with the fact that today was Tuesday and that meant Belle would be coming in today. True, the store didn’t actually open until ten, but Belle always came by early to talk with him. That didn’t mean he was rushing though, because he wasn’t rushing. He just believed in punctuality.

When Domhnall finally reached the store, at nine thirty-five, he was surprised to see that Belle wasn’t waiting there, but he tried not to dwell on the fact too much as he started his opening procedures. He had owned the store for almost five years now, having bought it along with several other properties when the former owner had fallen into debt, but after the initial purchase he hadn’t personally had much involvement with the store. He had hired a competent manager who handled the day to day management of the store while he dealt with the higher end management duties. He came in once a month to go over the records, check inventory, and discuss any changes that the manager thought could help the store. Usually the process took a few hours and then he was out the door and onto his next shop. It had been his system for years and he hadn’t had any plans on changing it, that was until six months ago when Belle French walked into his life and shook everything up.

* * *

 

It was the second Tuesday of the month which meant he was scheduled to check in on Cave of Wonders, The Rabbit Hole, and the antique shop he favored. He always started with the bookstore as the manager was one of his best, she was a capable young woman who actually kept good records and showed up for work. She was good at making his visits quick and easy while the manager of the nightclub was notorious for giving him trouble and when he made it to the antique shop he always knew that he was going to spend hours going over inventory because of the old man who ran it.

Domhnall arrived at the bookstore soon after it opened and was surprised to see that the manager, Jasmine Sultan, wasn’t alone. Tuesday mornings, especially in February, were hardly busy but Jasmine was chatting away with a petite brunette with an armful of books. It looked like she had been there for hours not the mere twenty minutes the store had been opened. When the bell above the door alerted them to his presence, they both looked up and Jasmine whispered something to the other girl before coming over to him with a professional smile on her face.

“Good morning Mr. Gold, how is your day going?”

“Fine Miss Sultan, let’s get down to business. I’ve got a busy day ahead of me.”

“Of course, Mr. Gold, right this way,” Jasmine smiled and led the way over to the small office near the back of the store. Despite having been engrossed in conversation with her only moments early she seemingly paid no mind now to the other girl who had started traveling around the store adding more books to her already large pile. Gold watched her for a moment, there was just something about her, the way she moved about the shop like she was apart of it. She didn’t seem to look at the titles as she grabbed book after book, and after several minutes she settled herself into a chair that he was pretty sure hadn’t been there a month before.

 “Mr. Gold are you ready sir?” Jasmine’s voice broke him out of his reverie and he realized that he had been standing outside the office and staring at the young woman.

 Yes, I’m ready” Gold followed Jasmine into the office. Jasmine started going over the books with him but his attention kept drifting out the office window to the girl curled up, seemingly at home in his shop. He recognized her in the distant way that he knew everyone in the town. Storybrooke was small enough that basically everyone knew each other, but he had never done business with her before. Still there was something about her…

 “...sales have been a bit down, but that is normal for this time of year, however I do have some ideas that might…” Jasmine continued with some plans about a book drive, partnering with the local school, and other projects but he wasn’t listening. The girl in the store had apparently finished flipping through the first book in her stack and was working on the second, seemingly content to lounge the day away there.

 “Miss Sultan, could sales happen to be down because you have a woman who treats my shop like her own personal library? Your little friend does realize that this is a business right? She can’t just come in and read at her leisure.”

Domhnall knew he sounded harsh but he hadn’t managed to own half of Storybrooke by being lenient and letting anyone do what they wanted. However Jasmine just waved off his barb like it was nothing and he was reminded of why he liked her. She may be polite and look like a princess but she had a core of steel, she wasn’t scared of him.

“Belle isn’t a problem, if anything she’s what’s keeping the store running. If she has ten books in her pile there she’ll buy nine of them. Belle French is our most valuable guest, she’s in here at least five times a week and buys at least one book during each trip. She’s also the one who helped me come up with some of the ideas to boost our sales.”

“Regardless of Miss French’s purchases her input into the upkeep and running of this shop is unnecessary and unwanted.”

“Mr. Gold, Belle French is a talented business woman. She has managed the flower shop for years now and has turned it around, she helps out in the community, promoting school sales and the like, she’s got a great head for business. I’ve tried hiring her, several times, but she says she’s happy at the flower shop. Considering, we should be happy she even cares to help us out.”

Domhnall hated when he was wrong, but he hated it more when he was wrong and someone else was right. It didn’t help that he knew she was right too. With the girl’s name he didn’t need Miss Sultan’s reminder of who she was. Belle French had been the manager of Game of Thorns for at least three years now, having worked there previously under her father and, before that, her mother. Under her management he had noticed that the store had improved drastically, she got them involved in the community, modernized the store, and had brought the store back from the edge of bankruptcy. When the shop had gone up for sale about a year ago he had considered purchasing it but had been beaten to the block by the other major landowner in town, Gaston Tricheur. Gaston must have also realized that Belle was an asset because he kept her on. As much as he hated to admit it Belle French was one hell of a business woman. Regardless of that, it didn’t mean he needed her input in how to run his own business.

“As competent as Miss French is, she is not employed here and we do not require her input, I know how to run my business. Understand, Miss Sultan?”

“But..”

“No buts, Miss Sultan. Belle French does not run this store, I do, and if you would like to keep your job here then you will start listening. Do I make myself clear?”

Jasmine glared at him, and he knew that she was biting back several thoughts on his behavior but if she wanted to stay employed she would fall in line. “Miss Sultan, I’m waiting.”

“You will be waiting for a while then Mr. Gold. I refuse to turn away good ideas simply because your pride is getting the better of you.” Jasmine bit out, reminding him once again that this woman wasn’t afraid to stand up to him.

“Miss Sultan, you are out of line and if…” Domhnall’s sentence was cut off by a tapping on the office door. Both he and Jasmine turned to see Belle French standing there looking a bit sheepish.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but the phone has been ringing for the last five minutes, I thought you ought to know,” Belle said with a small smile then ducked back into the store proper.

Jasmine gave him an exasperated look and rushed out of the office to where the phone was, Gold followed at a more sedate pace. He could hear Jasmine speaking hurriedly to whoever was on the other end of phone call, but he paid more attention to Belle as she walked about his store, straightening books, occasionally rearranging a few titles. She was clearly at ease here and for some reason that put him on edge.

“Wait, what? But he’s going to be okay, right? Alright I’m on my way, I’ll be there in five minutes!” Jasmine’s panicked voice caught both his and Belle’s attention and when she hung up the phone they were both looking at her, Belle was the one to speak though.

“Jasmine, what’s wrong?”

“Aladdin has been in a car accident. They’ve taken him to the hospital and he’s about to go into surgery. I’ve got to go.” Her words were hurried as she dashed about the store, picking up her keys, purse, and other essentials.

“Wait, what?” Gold wasn’t proud of the surprised tone in his voice, but it wasn’t every day that his employees, let alone his manager, up and left on him.

Jasmine didn’t even pause in her scuffle to gather up her things and she was halfway out the door when she responded, “My fiance is in the hospital, I am going to join him. Since this is **your** store, and **you** know how best to run it, you can watch it until Ariel gets here at three. If you have any questions, I’m sure Belle would be more than happy to help out.”

With a small smirk, Jasmine gave a wave to Belle and was out the door leaving him to handle the store on his own. Domnhall chanced a glance at Belle who looked just as surprised as he was at the change of events. He couldn’t begrudge Jasmine leaving early, but he didn’t have the time to stay here and watch over the shop. He’d call Dove or Jefferson and have them watch over the shop. They could handle it while he went about his regular business, after all he was a busy man.

He gave Belle one last look before disappearing back into the office and pulling out his cell phone. He tried Dove first, the taller man was his right hand man and was dependable to a fault. Which was why it was such a surprise when Dove reminded him that he was out of town at an estate sale on Gold’s own demands. It was a disappointment but he still had Jefferson, the younger man was eccentric but generally reliable. Though once again he was turned away, Jefferson’s daughter Grace had chicken pox and so he was stuck home with her. With both of his men out of commission he resulted to calling the girl who was supposed to come in after Jasmine. He hadn’t dealt with Ariel Fischer much but she seemed competent enough, and smart enough to jump at the chance at some extra money. Once again though he was let down, apparently she had a second job at the local pool teaching swimming and she wasn’t off there until two-thirty. With her out of commission he was left with only one alternative. He was stuck working at the bookstore until Ariel arrived. With great reluctance he placed calls to the managers of the Rabbit Hole and the pawnshop informing them that he’d be postponing his visit until the next day.

When he came back out of the office Belle was back to reading in the chair he was sure he hadn’t provided the store. He moved behind the desk and busied himself with straightening the area up, taking note of what office supplies they seemed to be low on. The hours went by slowly without much to distract him, the only noise being the creak and groan of the chair when Belle shifted about. After what seemed like hours of just the creaking of the chair he thought he was going to go mad. When Belle started to rearrange herself for what seemed like the thousandth time he just about lost it.

“Miss French, since you seem so at home here, maybe you can tell me where that wretched chair came from?”

Belle looked up from whatever book she was browsing through with a small smile, “Jasmine bought it at a second hand shop, she noticed that some of the older customers had trouble standing for long periods of time so she brought it in so they could rest while shopping. It made Mrs. Shueman very happy, Granny too though she won’t admit it.”

“Are you so frail Miss French that you need to use it as well?” He was rather proud of himself for holding back any real malice in his voice, just cold disinterest.

Belle didn’t even seem phased by his comment however. “Of course not, Mr. Gold, but there happens to be nowhere else to sit while I decide which books to purchase. If you want I will happily come stand up there with you and you could give me your recommendations. What are your thoughts on _Dead Bedroom_ and _Beauty in the Raw_?”

Any joy Gold had taken in snapping at her before disappeared at her response. It seemed Jasmine wasn’t the only one willing to stand up to him. Thankfully he didn’t have to respond because at that moment the bell above the door jingled alerting them both to someone’s entrance. Ruby Lucas came bounding in, arms full of Granny’s takeout, not even sparing him a glance.

“Hey Belle! I’ve got your and Jasmine’s orders here, Granny even threw in some extra cookies for free, it comes to $14.75. Is it your turn to pay or is Jaz paying?” Miss Lucas rambled as she walked right by him to plop herself down on the floor next to Belle’s chair, stealing a fry out of one of the bags, totally oblivious to him.

“Well, I do believe Miss French will be paying you for your services as Miss Sultan is currently indisposed.” Domhnall drawled, taking great joy in watching Miss Lucas jump at his voice even if Belle simply rolled her eyes and started taking out money to pay the other girl.

“Mr Gold? What are you doing here?” Ruby asked.

“I happen to own this shop Miss Lucas. I think that gives me the right to be here when I please. Now if you are finished with your delivery why don’t you scoot along back to your Grandmother’s grease pit?”

Ruby glared at him, “I happen to be on break, thank you very much, and is it really your business practice to turn away paying customers? I didn’t just come here to deliver food, I came to pick up the latest book in the _Business and Pleasure_ series. Please tell me Mr. Gold, do you carry _Disciplinary Action_ by Liz Mantis?”

Gold didn’t have the first clue in hell if that was something they carried. He hadn’t even heard of the damn series, or even the author, before and going by the smirk on Ruby’s face and the way Belle seemed to be biting back a smile they knew it. Didn’t mean he was going to give in though.

“Unfortunately Miss Lucas I do believe we are out of it currently. However I can put it on our order list for next week if you so wish.” He thought he was safe, he could easily place an order for whatever silly little book she wanted. However when Ruby leaned over to whisper to Belle he had a feeling that things were not going to go his way. It was confirmed when Ruby stood up and, after a moment of searching, came up to the register with the book in question.

“I guess you were mistaken Mr. Gold. I’ll take it though and head back to my ‘grease pit’ so as not to embarrass you further.” Ruby was positively giddy and he hated it. He also hated the small smile that Belle was trying to hide behind one of her books.

Gold snatched the book from her and quickly ran through the transaction, the whole time making plans to close the store and burn it to the ground it’d be worth the loss. Of course things couldn’t go easy though, when he tried putting the money in the till the drawer seemed to get stuck and wouldn’t open leaving him fumbling like an idiot with it.

“Hit it from the side.” Belle’s voice was hardly more than a whisper from his side. Apparently she had sidled up to the register when he hadn’t been looking and once again thought it was best to try and help him with his store. He chose to ignore her though, struggling some more with the register. It was only after Miss Lucas started dramatically sighing that he gave in and hit the cashbox from the side, annoyed when it sprung open immediately. He quickly finished out the transaction, happy to see Miss Lucas finally leaving.

Once Miss Lucas was gone he locked the door and flicked the sign over to say they were closed for lunch. Miss Lucas had brought two meals so he might as well make the best out of the situation. Belle was still standing at the register, clearly surprised that he hadn’t shooed her out when he closed up but at this point he had to accept the truth. Belle French knew more about his shop then he did and he wanted to know why.

“Don’t worry Miss French, I have no plans to hurting you or whatever the rumors say I do to young women.”

“The current rumor is that you kidnap them and keep them in your basement to torture for amusement.” Belle said with a small smirk.

Domhnall rolled his eyes, “Of course they do. Regardless I just thought we could talk, since you seem to know my shop so well.”

Belle considered him for a minute but seemed to sense his sincerity and went to grab the two bags Miss Lucas had brought, giving one to him. “Okay Mr. Gold what did you want talk about?”

Gold glanced in his bag unsurprised to see hamburgers, fries and the cookies Miss Lucas mentioned. Beggars couldn’t be choosers though. “Why is it that you know my shop so well, Miss French? I’d of thought you’d be too busy running your own store to bother with the on goings of mine.”

“Well I love books obviously, I used to want to travel but that’s not an option any more so I read. ‘We may sit in our library and yet be in all quarters of the earth,’ Obviously this isn’t a library but it’s the closest that we have in Storybrooke. I get to read about all these wonderful places and imagine that I’m part of it. It’s like magic. So obviously I fell in love with it here. But that’s not why I know your store so well, no that’s simply because I’m here more than once a month. I’m here almost every day, either to look at what new books you’ve gotten in or simply to talk with Jasmine. You’ve got an amazing manager there Mr. Gold. She cares about this shop more than you know. That’s why she bought that chair out of her own pocket for your older customers, that’s why she works ridiculous hours to make sure that things go well, that’s why she’s willing to ask for help when she needs it. Your shop is struggling, whether you want to admit it or not, and Jasmine has some great ideas on how to help it out if you’re willing to listen to her. If you are only going to show up once a month then you need to listen to your woman on the inside.”

Gold had to admit to himself he was impressed with the young Miss French. She truly did seem to care about, not only, his shop but also his employees. “Miss Sultan said that many of her ideas came from you. What do you say about that?”

Belle waved off his comment with a roll of her eyes, “Jasmine is exaggerating. I simply gave her a few suggestions, but she’s the one who expanded on them.”

Domhnall considered Belle’s words as they ate their lunch in relative quiet. He wasn’t sure exactly  why but Belle’s words seemed to be getting him. He hated it. He owned half of Storybrooke at this point and had been managing businesses for longer than Belle had been alive but yet here she was showing him his hand. Yes she was a manager in her own right but it hardly was the same as what he handled.

“Miss Sultan said she offered you a job with us.” Domhnall mentioned, trying to sound casual.

Belle shrugged as she took a bite out of her hamburger. “Yeah she did, a couple times actually.”

“Hmm” Gold hummed, saying no more on the subject.

The rest of the afternoon went by a lot faster after Gold stopped trying to hinder Belle’s presence. Still not many people came through but he accepted the fact that Belle knew more and let her help the few that did. He watched as she easily located books for the customers and if they didn’t have the books she was able to recommend something for them. She was kind and helpful to everyone who came in, even Regina when she came in to purchase a book for Henry. She was the perfect saleswoman, handling everything with ease as if she had worked here for years instead of just helping out a hapless guy like him.

When things were quiet once more, just him and Belle standing at the register after Mary Margaret left with her new copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird,_ he shelved his pride to ready himself for something he never did. Admit he was wrong.

“Miss French I want to apologize for my behavior towards you earlier. You were only trying to help and I was being…”

“An ass?” Belle suggested with a smirk.

“...Yes an ass. But you clearly are a very talented woman and I am grateful for your assistance today.”

“Apology accepted Mr. Gold. Honestly I don’t mind helping out, I love it here.”

“Yes, that brings me to my next subject. I know Miss Sultan has asked you, apparently several times, to come join our staff here but I would be a poor boss if I didn’t extend an offer to you. Would you consider joining us here?” Even as he extended the offer Domhnall knew what her answer would be.

“It’s very kind of you to offer Mr. Gold but I am happy at Game of Thorns. However I’m always willing to help out when I’m here.” Belle let him down gently with a smile, but even he could tell she wasn’t 100% sincere about being happy at her current job. He wasn’t going to push her though, she clearly had her reasons and he’d let her keep them to herself.

“Very well Miss French, but the offer will stand. If you ever change your mind, you are more than welcome to join our team.” With a small smile of his own he offered Belle his hand which she quickly took with a gentle shake. Even if Belle wasn’t joining them he had a feeling things were going to change at the Cave of Wonders.

* * *

 

That had been six months ago and during that time he had taken what Belle had said to heart. His store had been struggling and he hadn’t wanted to admit it because that would be admitting failure. He let Jasmine, and by extension Belle, have more control in upkeep of the store, turning the dark quiet shop, into a bright and fresh new store. He also started making more time to be at the shop himself. At first, it was just an extra visit and a few phone calls during the week. After the first time Belle answered the phone, he’d stopped being surprised when she answered it.

Eventually though his visits became longer and more frequent, centering themselves around when he was sure that Belle would happen to be at the store. Most days she would stop in but would only be there for an hour or two either before or after she went to work herself. It didn’t take too long to realize that Tuesday's seem to be her day off and the days she would spend almost from open to close with them at the store. Soon his own visits to the store seem to land on these days too and when Jasmine came to him saying that Aladdin’s physical therapy was going to be on Tuesdays then it was just obvious to tell her not to worry about it he could open the shop and take care of things on those days.

Tuesdays quickly became his favorite day of the week, though he’d admit it to no one. Business had picked up since Jasmine and Belle implemented their plans but there were still points of down time and during them, he got learn more about Belle. She told him of how she and her parents had moved to America from Australia when she was ten because her mother had always dreamed of living here. It had also been her mother’s passion that led them to opening Game of Thorns, she had a love for flowers and everything green and her father could never tell her no. It had been hard for the first few years, and he knew all too well how hard new shops could be, but she said her mother and father never seemed anything but happy when there. Sadly, her mother never got to see the shop reach true success because she passed when Belle was fifteen.

After that Belle started working at the shop herself, though she had helped out there unofficially for years, wanting to hold on to something that her mother cared so much about. When her father had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer he had been forced to sell the shop, something that he and Belle had apparently argued out, to help pay for medical bills, and she had continued to work at the store ever since in the hopes of buying it back. Apparently Maurice had only sold it to Gaston under the impression that he and Belle would get together and it would still be in the family, but Belle had been quick to assure him she had absolutely no interest in Gaston so she was stuck raising enough money to buy it outright.

One Tuesday during their lunch, he gathered up the courage to tell her his own story. How his mother had abandoned him at birth with his abusive and alcoholic father who in turn had abandoned him before he even turned ten. He was raised by his two spinster aunts and every day was a fight to stay alive. He had made a promise to himself at a young age that when he grew up he’d make something of himself and no one, especially him, would ever look back at the weak man he used to be. It took years of fighting tooth and nail, but he was finally the success that he had always dreamed of.

Belle had listened to his story without any interruptions and at the end she had leaned over and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He had been too shocked to respond and by the time he had started to respond, she had already been pulling back with a sad look on her face. “You must have been so lonely.”

He hadn’t expected that, he couldn’t remember the last time someone had cared about how he felt. He had never thought of his past as lonely, people had passed through his life but looking back on it no one had ever stuck around. He hadn’t thought much on it then, too focused on building himself up to think on it, but now he had all the success he could ever want and no one to share it with. Belle was right, he had been, and continued to be, lonely. After that conversation, he noticed a shift in their relationship, they were definitely closer and there was and Belle became more carefree with her affection. She had never been shy with gentle touches but now he frequently found himself wrapped in hugs after a particularly good sale and even once or twice he had been blessed with a kiss on the cheek. After years of solitude he was quickly becoming addicted to her touch and longed for Tuesdays to come around so he could spend more time with her.

The chime of the bell above the door broke him out of his thoughts and he looked up, hoping to see Belle, but was disappointed when it was only Ashley Boyd picking up her monthly issue of _Bridal Guide_ magazine. He rang her up with little discussion, brushing off her question about where Belle was because it was something he was quite curious about himself. It was just after noon at this point, and while Belle wasn’t an actual employee and wasn’t required to come in at all -- let alone at a certain time -- she had never missed a Tuesday yet. He was getting worried. By the time twelve-thirty rolled around he was seriously debating calling Belle to check in on her when the door open and the woman in question came in slowly with a bag of Thai take out.

“Sorry I’m late, I brought lunch though!” Belle sounded cheerful but the smile she gave him didn’t reach her eyes and there was just something off about her. She explained how she overslept this morning, then the apartment above hers had a leaky pipe which was dripping into hers so she had to wait for a plumber to come fix it, and how she had been rushing around all day. She said that even as she moved slowly around the store, each step seemingly carefully placed and he was sure he saw her wince once or twice. Even more suggestive that there was something she wasn’t telling him was the fact she was wearing a bulky sweater despite the fact that it was summer. While summers in Maine weren’t exactly sauna like weather it was definitely too warm to warrant needing a sweater like that.

“Are you cold, Belle?” Domhnall asked rather abruptly, and it took seemed to take Belle a minute before she realized what he was referring to. But again she gave him a weak smile and brushed him off.

“I got dressed in such a rush this morning I didn’t realize that the blouse I was wearing had a rip in it until I was just about to leave. I just grabbed the first thing to cover it. It’s no big deal, I’m not warm.”

He wanted to press the issue but she was already pulling out his pad thai and her yum gai and asking about what she had missed during the morning. He didn’t like giving in but Belle seemed insistent that everything was fine. If something was wrong, she would tell him in her own time, he was sure of it.

Together they ate lunch and Gold told her about what happened during the morning and she filled him in on things that had been going on throughout the week while he spent time at his other shops, everything was normal. That was until Belle reached over to steal some of his noodles and her sweater sleeve rose up to reveal dark purple bruises around her wrists. He wasn’t aware he had dropped his chopsticks and was staring until Belle pulled away quickly and yanked down her sleeve, but he had seen enough.

“What happened to you Belle?”

“Nothing. I fell yesterday, that’s all.” Belle mumbled and was avoiding meeting his eyes.

“Belle you don’t get bruises like that from a fall. What happened? Did someone hurt you?” He was impressed how he managed to keep himself composed when really all he wanted to do was track down the person who had caused those marks on Belle and make them feel the pain she must have felt.

“No one hurt me. Nothing happened, Dom.” Belle gave him another one of those tight smiles and tugged her sweater tighter around her, the movement causing her to wince again.

“Belle, take off your sweater.” Domhnall was working on a hunch but he was sure he was right. Things were finally starting to fall into place.

“What? No!” Belle protested, standing up quickly but the movement caused her to stumble and she reached out to him to steady herself. He helped lower her back to her chair and regain her bearings. Gold squatted down in front of her, despite the hell it played on his ankle, and rubbed soothing circles on the backs of her hands.

“Belle, tell me what happened please.” He pleaded with her.

There was a moment where he didn’t think she was going to give in, that she was going to try and brush it off again, but finally she nodded. With another wincing deep breath she slipped her sweater off revealing more bruises than just the ones at her wrist. Finger shaped marks also marred her upper arms along with jagged scrapes and cuts covering her arms and back. After another moment of hesitation, Belle lifted up the hem of her shirt to reveal bruising on her ribs as well, explaining why she had been been moving around so carefully.

Domhnall’s hands shook slightly as he pushed her shirt back down and took her hand in his. He was furious. Someone had beaten and abused Belle and that couldn’t stand. He wanted to rage and break destroy the shop just to try and vent out some of his anger but that wasn’t going to solve the issue. No, he had to stay calm. “Belle, who did this to you?”

“No one. I told you I fell.” Belle mumbled again, her hands twisting in his grasp, not quite meeting his eyes.

Gold brought her hands up to his lips and kissed both of them, the action shocking Belle into finally looking at him. “Belle I know you didn’t fall, please tell me who did this. I want to help you, please.”

Belle bit her lip but finally nodded. “Gaston. Gaston did this.”

She then explained everything to him. How after almost two years of saving and pinching pennies she had finally saved up enough money to make an offer to Gaston to buy back the flower shop. When he had come to the shop last night she had seen the perfect opportunity, she had presented her case to him and everything went to hell after that. Apparently Belle had been shutting down his advances since before Gaston had even bought the shop but he hadn’t gotten the clue. Gaston was the one who had put the idea into her father’s head that if he sold the shop to him and then Belle married Gaston then technically the shop would be kept within the family. She had always insisted that she had no interest in him however.

Last night when she made her offer to Gaston, he had laughed at her. He told her that the only way she would ever get the shop back is if she agreed to marry him. When she rejected his offer, she tried to reason with him. She knew he hadn’t really wanted the flower shop, she could take it off his hands, in response he had forced himself on her. He shoved her up against the wall, pinning her hands down, and kissed her. He was much stronger than her so all her efforts to free her hands only lead to hurting her wrists further. Thankfully he hadn’t thought to subdue her legs so she managed to knee him in the groin causing him to let her go. She had tried to get free but Gaston pulled himself together faster than she had anticipated and grabbed her around the wrist again, this time using her momentum to push her back through the glass fronted cabinet that they kept vases and other containers in. It shattered under her, spraying glass on her as she fell to the floor.

Belle thought her pain was over at that point, Gaston was pacing around and cursing everything, and she tried crawling away. That only made things worse. The pain of crawling through broken glass seemed like nothing next to Gaston’s boot making contact with her ribs. Two, three, four, maybe even five times he lashed out at her until she was nothing but a crying, huddled, mass on the floor. After that there was just yelling. She wasn’t sure how long she laid there while Gaston yelled and screamed at her, calling her all sorts of names and cursing her to hell and back. She didn’t remember much of that part, the pain making things fuzzy. The only thing she remembered clearly was when Gaston bent down next to her head and made her look at him. He told her that if she told anyone about what had happened that he’d fire her, close the shop down, and make sure that she’d never get her hands on it. Then he had left her.

Belle had lain there for what seemed like hours before the pain receded enough for her to pick herself up and make her way to her apartment. She hadn’t gone to the hospital because she couldn’t risk Gaston following through on his threat. He wouldn’t care if she was jobless and lost the last connect she had to her mother, he’d close the store and have her out on her ass. When she had gotten home she had taken about six ibuprofens and proceeded to collapse onto her bed and sleep until only a few hours ago.

When Belle finished telling him what happened she had tears rolling down her cheeks and was snuffling occasionally, each time wincing afterwards. Domhnall was positively furious, it was worse than he had thought. Had it simply been some low life thug who attacked her for her purse or something, he would have still found the guy and caused him pain, but Gaston had purposely hurt her, had forced himself on her despite her repeated denials, and then threatened her. He would have the bastard’s blood painting his walls. But that was going to have to wait, first Belle needed to be taken care of.

“I’m taking you to the hospital Belle, we need to get you checked out.”

“I can’t, if Gaston finds out that I went…”

“I don’t care about Gaston, I care about you. Belle you could be seriously hurt, you need to be checked out. Please let me help you.” He couldn’t give a damn about Gaston, he’d be taken care of in time, but his first concern was making sure Belle was okay.

Once Belle nodded and finally agreed he set things in motions. He called up Dove and told he needed him to come watch the shop, not giving him the details as that could wait until later, then calling the hospital to inform them that he would be bringing in Belle and to expect them. Doctor Whale owed him several favors and he was definitely going to use that to his advantage. Thankfully it didn’t take Dove long to get to the store and when he came in he took one look at Belle and the bruises decorating her arms and torso and a deep frown took over his face. He locked eyes with Gold and Domhnall knew that the taller man was on board with any plans regarding Belle’s abuser.

“Dove, please help Miss French to my car.” Gold instructed.

“I can walk-” Belle tried to argue but drifted off at looks from both him and Dove. With no more argument, she let herself be picked up and carried out to his car where Dove carefully strapped her in.

Once Belle was safely secured in the car, and could no longer hear them, Domhnall gave Dove one more additional instruction. “Gaston Tricheur. Find him.”

With Dove’s silent assurance that he would find the bastard, Domhnall gave his thanks and then he and Belle were off. The drive to the hospital was short and quiet but he could tell that Belle was nervous. He tried to calm her, taking her hand in his the way he had before, but he could still feel the nervous energy radiating off of her.

When they reached the hospital, Dr. Whale and a nurse were already waiting outside with a wheelchair. Belle tensed slightly at the sight of them but he gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be with you the whole time. Don’t worry.”

Only once Belle nodded did he give Whale and the nurse the okay open the door and help Belle into the wheelchair. He followed behind them as they pushed her through the, mostly empty, emergency room, back to the exam rooms. However when he tried to go back with her the nurse turned and blocked his path. “I’m sorry Mr. Gold, you’ll have to wait out here.”

Belle’s eyes widened and he could see the panic setting in once again. That couldn’t happen. Domhnall met the nurse head on and gave her the same look he gave tenants who were late on rent. “The hell I will. I’m going with her.”

The nurse blanched but held firm, not letting him pass. “I’m sorry Sir, but it’s hospital policy. Only family and loved ones are allowed back.”

“I’m her boyfriend so you will either let me back or I will tie this place up in so much paperwork. Do you understand me?” Domhnall didn’t know what possessed him to say what he did, besides the fact that he needed to go back with Belle, for his sake as much as her’s. A glance towards Belle didn’t show any discontent with his statement, in fact she was smiling slightly. The nurse sputtered slightly but with a glare gave in and let him past.

They were lead back to an exam room where Belle’s vitals were taken and then the nurse was shoving a gown into his hands with a small smile. “Why don’t you help Miss French change into this, she’ll need to take everything but her underwear off. We’ll be right outside. Let us know when you are done.”

Domhnall stared at the flimsy gown and wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into with his little lie. The nurse had apparently seen right through it and was going to take great joy in his embarrassment. Belle too was smiling at his dumbstruck look. “Dom you don’t have to help me. I’m sure I can do it myself.”

That snapped him out of his shock and he frowned at her. “Nonsense. I’ll help you.”

Belle seemed to be smothering back a laugh but didn’t argue, instead she pushed herself out of her wheelchair, drawing protest from him which she waved off, and gave him her back. Her blouse had two small buttons at the nape of her neck and his fingers were trembling as he slid each one through it’s little hole. With Belle’s okay he slowly slid her shirt off, trying very hard not notice all the soft, smooth skin under his hands, it was easier to remember his anger when he could see how many more bruises had been hidden by her clothes though. Next was her skirt and he was sure he was going die of embarrassment as he skimmed his hands along her hips trying to find the hidden zipper of her skirt. Once he finally found it and was able to release it he realized that he hadn’t known hell until he took in Belle in nothing but her blue lace bra and panties. He was sure he was going to have that image imprinted in his mind for the rest of his life.

“I can get the rest Domhnall” Belle’s voice cut through his haze and he realized that the nurse had instructed her take everything but her underwear off, that meant that her bra would have to go as well. Part of him wanted to argue, she shouldn’t strain herself like that, but logically he knew he wasn’t strong enough to handle that so he simply nodded and handed her the gown and gave her his back. He could hear her shuffling and the occasional wince and he had to fight against his desire to turn around to help her. She deserved her modesty during this moment at least, only once Belle said it was okay to do so, did he turn back around.

 “Could you get the ties please?” Belle asked him. Standing there in a hospital gown that dwarfed her small frame she looked even smaller than ever. As he did up the ties on the back of the gown he couldn’t imagine how anyone would want to hurt her and his hatred for Gaston came back tenfold. The bastard would pay for what he had put her through. Once Whale and the nurse came back in the actual examination itself went by quickly. X-rays and other tests revealed that besides the bruises and cuts over her body Gaston had managed to break three of her ribs and give her a concussion.

“Does she have to be admitted?” Domhnall asked the doctor. It would put dent in his plans, but if that would be better for Belle he’d be fine.

“No, it’s not that severe. She’s okay to go home but we would like someone to be with her just to be safe. Concussions can cause bouts of dizziness and blackouts. Last thing we need is for her to fall and cause greater injury. As her boyfriend I’ll assume she’ll be staying with you?”

“Yes.” Gold could feel Belle’s eyes on him as Whale went over the things he should be on the lookout for. He knew he should have asked if Belle was okay with staying at his home, but with Gaston still out there he wasn’t taking any chances. He needed her to be someplace she was safe and the safest place was his home.

With the examination done Whale had given Belle a prescription for the pain, which Gold then sent Dove to retrieve, and they were free to go. Helping Belle get dressed was a lot easier than the reverse, though he was sure his face was still tinged pink afterwards. Belle didn’t argue with him when he insisted on the wheelchair again, either she had accepted the fact that she was hurt more than she wanted to admit, or she was humoring him. He hoped it was the former.

The drive from the hospital to his home was quiet, but it wasn’t the stilted awkward silence that had filled the car on the way to the hospital. This time it was Belle who was the one to reach out for his hand, anchoring them together. When they reached his home she didn’t let go of his hand immediately, instead brought it up and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand.

“Thank you, for everything.” She was quiet but he could hear the sincerity in her voice. When he looked at her there were tears in her eyes and he wondered how long she had been holding it in.

“It was nothing. Now let’s get you inside and resting.”

Domhnall helped Belle out the car and up to the door, the process was slow going with Belle dragging her feet to take in his house. Her reaction was the same when they got inside, all big eyes and a mind full of questions. He watched as she traced her fingers lightly over the antiques littering the hall, noting how right she looked in his home.

“You live here all alone?” Belle asked over her shoulder as she ventured into the living room, another room filled with priceless stuff to fill the empty space.

“Yeah, it’s just me here.” It had been that way for forever.

She gave him that look, that same one she had given him after he had told her about his family and how he had grown up. Not a look of pity or sadness, but one of confusion. Like she was confused, like she couldn’t understand why he was alone.

“Dove will be coming by in a little bit with your prescription, is there anything else you’d like him to pick up? Something to eat or maybe clothes from your apartment?”

Belle shook her head, the motion then causing her to stumble but she managed to catch herself before he rushed to her side. “I think I just want to lay down. It’s been a busy day and my head is starting to hurt.”

Gold was nodding even before she finished speaking, “Of course.” With his support they made their way to the closest bedroom, it wasn’t until they got inside that he realized that said bedroom was actually his, a detail that Belle seemed to pick up on too. Then again it’d be hard to miss the lived in state of the room, his slippers at foot of the bed, robe on a hook on the closet door, the book he’d been reading left open to where he had stopped the night before. It was the only room in the house that actually looked like someone had been there.

“This is your room. I can’t take your room after everything you’ve done.” Belle protested even as he continued to lead her to the bed.

“You can and you will. I haven’t done anything special Belle and I happen to know for certain that this is the most comfortable bed in the house. I think you deserve a night of complete relaxation and this is the best place for it. Plus it’s got its own bathroom, it’s close to the kitchen, it has everything you need.”

He could see that Belle was still going to protest but once he got her sitting on the bed he could see the fight draining out of her. Even more so when she sunk back against the pillows, he could practically see the tension leaving her body.

“Get some rest Belle. You’re safe here.”  

Belle was asleep before he had even left the room, the last two days’ events taking their toll on her. With Belle safe and sound, he was able to move forward into the next phase of his plan. It wasn’t enough for Gaston to feel pain and suffering, he was going to take everything from man. He secluded himself in his office and set to work.

It took hours of writing, deleting, rewriting, checking, and double checking every particular fact until he was sure the documents in front of him were correct and legally binding. Everything had to be perfect, there could be no loopholes for the bastard to wiggle through. Only when it passed his own expectations did he send it off to his lawyer to double check. He was technically a lawyer himself but he kept Midas on retainer for situations just like this.

When he looked up from the computer he was surprised to see how late it was, he checked his phone and saw several missed calls from unimportant people, one from Jefferson, and two texts from Dove. The first informed him that he had brought Belle’s medicine by and it was sitting on the kitchen island along with some food he put in the fridge. The second text was more important, Gaston Tricheur was currently checked into The Starlet Motel just outside of town. It was a crappy rundown alternative to Granny’s frequented by junkies and sex workers. He wasn’t surprised to hear that Gaston was there. He sent Dove a text to stay there and alert him if there was any change. He couldn’t do anything about him tonight, but tomorrow morning was something completely different.

A light knock at the door startled him, jerking around he found Belle standing there. She had changed out of her clothes into what he recognized as his own pajama pants and one of his undershirts. There was something extremely satisfying about seeing her in his clothes while in his house, the sight making him smile.

Belle smiled sheepishly, tugging slightly at his clothes, “I might have ransacked your closet. I hope you don’t mind.”

Domhnall shook his head as he walked over to her, “Not at all. Are you hungry? Dove brought over some food.”

“I’m starving. I haven’t eaten anything all day.”

“Then let’s get you something to eat.” With his arm around her waist he led her down to the kitchen, shutting the door behind him. Tomorrow he would deal with Gaston Tricheur, tonight he was going to make sure Belle was comfortable and happy.

* * *

 

The next day Domhnall left early in the morning. He had waited around long enough for Jefferson to show up to keep Belle company but once the two of them were ensconced in his library he made his excuses to leave. He had explained to Belle that he had some pressing errands to run today that unfortunately he couldn’t avoid but he hoped to be back by the afternoon. She hadn’t questioned him but the look she had given him before he left implied that she knew that something was up.

He couldn’t dwell on that though, he had someone to take care of. Dove had texted him this morning that Gaston was still at the motel and so after double checking that he had the documents he had written up the night before he proceeded to the hotel himself. The drive from his house to the hotel wasn’t a long one, only fifteen to twenty minutes, but it was plenty of time to go over Belle’s injuries and her story again and again. It helped fuel him for what was about to come.

When he reached the hotel he easily spotted Dove’s car and the man waiting for him. He parked next to the other man and took one last deep breath. There was no going back from this. Exiting his Cadillac he gave a curt nod to Dove and the taller man fell into step beside him as they made their way to the hotel. “He still here?”

“Yup. Hasn’t left his room all night.”

“Good.”

The two of them walked in silence into the hotel, Dove was there to provide assurance that Gaston wouldn’t try anything stupid and to keep any “good samaritans” who might be in this dump away while Gold was handling his business with the letch. They stopped briefly, easily managing to get a copy of Gaston’s room key from the bored looking teen working the front desk. Gaston’s room was on the first floor, in a corner near the laundry room that was out of order, in other words he was in an area that no one passed by. It was perfect for what he had in mind.

When they reached Gaston’s door they could hear muffled talking coming from inside the room. Domhnall looked over at Dove who shook his head, he hadn’t known about anyone else in the room either. Clearing out a third party hadn’t been in his plans but he would do what was needed. Using their borrowed key, they opened the door and immediately Gold regretted his decision. Never again did he want to see Gaston Tricheur’s pale naked ass as he pumped into some bored looking woman who was lying as still as could be.

“Mmm Belle! Yes! Tell me you love me!” Gaston cried out, still unaware of the two people who had barged into his room and were currently considering bleaching their own minds.

Gold’s revulsion at what he walked into turned to anger when he realized what exactly he was seeing. The bastard who had brutally beat and tried to force himself on Belle had actually paid someone who looked somewhat like her to fulfill his sick fantasy.

“I’m sorry to interrupt…” Gold drawled, having seen enough of the display in front of him.

Gaston’s head whipped around and stared at the two of them in shock, making no move to cover himself to Domhnall’s disappointment. “What the fuck is going on!”

“You and I have some business to discuss Mr. Tricheur. So please bid your little friend good bye so we can sort things out.” He kept his tone as calm and pleasant as possible so as to not alarm the young woman or tip off Gaston to what was to come.

Gaston glared back and forth between Dove and Gold before cursing and rolling off of the poor girl, who scrambled out from under him, and pulled on some gym shorts. Gold nodded to Dove who went over and wrapped his jacket around the girl, giving her some modesty as she looked for her clothes. After she was dressed and paid off, all pleasantries were thrown out the window. Dove went around locking the door, making sure all the window blinds were pulled, and curtains shut tight, before taking his place in front of door. The whole time Gold was circling the room slowly, fiddling with his cane, letting Gaston stew in what he must know was coming.

“Gold what the fuck is this about?”

_Whack!_

Gold snapped out with his cane catching Gaston in the back of the knees, sending the taller man stumbling to ground.

“What the fuck, old man?” Gaston cursed, his eyes full of fury.

Gold was calm as he continued circling the the man. “Belle French.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

_Whack!_

Gold struck out again, this time catching Gaston across the jaw. “Belle French.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Gaston spit, blood trickling out of corner of his mouth.

_Whack!_

This time he struck hit the bastard along the back, causing him to arch and curse.

“Belle French.”

“I didn’t touch the bitch!”

_Crack! Crack!_

Twin shots on the wrists, he heard the bones break on them. No way he would abusing innocent women again soon. “Belle French.”

“I didn’t do-”

_Thud!_

The sound of his cane meeting Gaston’s thick skull was extremely satisfying. “Belle French.”

“That bitch-”

_Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Crack! Crack!_

Over and over again he brought his cane down on Gaston’s ribs, not satisfied until he heard the crack and crunch of bone breaking under the act. Gaston screams of pain were soothing to his rage. With every swing of his cane he saw the bruises on Belle’s body, he heard Whale telling them that Belle had a concussion, he remembered the X-ray’s showing Belle’s broken ribs. He wanted Gaston to feel the same pain she was feeling, to know exactly what he had done to her.

When he finally stopped he was out of breath from the exertion and Gaston was a bloody lump on the ground. Squatting down next to Gaston’s head he used the head of his cane to bring the idiot’s gaze up to his. “Belle French.”

“I di-did it. I hurt her.” Gaston gasped out.

“You did more than just hurt her, you worthless sack of shit. You took everything from her but now you are going to give it, and more, back.” Reaching into his suit he took out the documents he had written up the night before. “These here say that you agree to sign over not just the flower shop you conned her father out of but all of your properties in Storybrooke to Belle French. You are going to sign these, and then you are going to leave town. You are never going to come back. You’re not going to see Belle, you’re not going to call her, you’re not even going to think of her after this.”

Gaston glared up at him, though it lost its heat when it came through two black eyes. “And if I don’t sign it?”

Gold smirked, glancing over his shoulder at Dove who nodded his agreement, and leaned even closer than before. “Then you leave this room in a body bag.” Gaston blanched and he started nodding quickly.

“That’s what I thought. Dove, get Mr. Tricheur a pen.”

It was the work of a moment to get Gaston to sign off on all the papers, he then turned them over to Dove to affix his own signature to them as a witness. He wanted to make sure there was no way for Gaston to try and slip through the cracks. Only once the documents were handed back to him and he had gone over them to make sure that everything was in order did he stand back up and remove his cane from under Gaston’s chin.

With the immediate threat of the cane gone Gaston seemed to regain some of his idiotic bravery. Sneering up at Gold he asked, “Why is Belle so important to you anyway. If she won’t spread her legs for me what makes you think you have a chance.”

Behind him Gold could practically feel Dove tensing up but he held him off with a wave of his hand. Glaring down at the man with nothing but cold hatred for him Domhnall gave his answer. “Do you know what Belle’s favorite type of book to read is? Most people would think it’s Austen or Bronte, and she does love them, but if you really watch her and pay attention you’d figure out that her favorite are fairy tales. She can quote Hugo and Tolstoy perfectly but when she’s sad, angry, or just needs to unwind after a long day she goes for fairy tales. They make her happy, they make her smile and believe that there is still good in the world. So that’s why I’m doing this, because she deserves to live in the type of fairy tale world she reads about, and doesn’t deserve people like you and me bringing her down. So this, this is for Belle.” With one last snap out of his cane he caught Gaston in the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

Gold turned to leave, he was more than ready to return home to Belle and let her know that Gaston Tricheur wasn’t going to be a problem any longer, but he was brought up short by Dove. The other man didn’t say a word just gestured slightly at Gold’s body, a glance down at himself showed the problem. He looked like a mess. He had left the house in pristine condition and now his suit was rumpled and speckled with blood from his assault on Gaston. He couldn’t go home like this. Dove apparently had the same thought because he told him to wait and then disappeared for a few minutes. When he came back he had a garment bag in hand. Gold didn’t know if he should have been surprised or not when he opened bag to find a suit, pressed and in pristine condition.

“Dove remind me to give you a raise.” Domhnall said as he headed into the bathroom to change into the new suit. Where the man had gotten one of his suits he didn’t know, but he was grateful, Belle didn’t need to see him like that.

Once changed he and Dove left Gaston still passed out on the floor, even hanging the “do not disturb” sign on the door on the way out. When they passed the front desk Gold stopped just long enough to tip the teen for any damages that might have come to the room, though he doubted the money would ever leave the kid’s pocket, and then he left to head home. Dove stayed at the hotel, to ensure that when Gaston did finally come to that he fulfilled his end of the deal and left town. Iif Gaston was reluctant, or decided to cause trouble, Dove was more than willing to provide some encouragement. He promised to stop over later to check on Belle, apparently he had made some cookies for her.

He had only been gone a few hours by the time he finally got back home. When he found Belle and Jefferson in the library it didn’t look like they had moved at all, Belle was still in his overstuffed rocking chair reading while Jefferson sat on the lounger knitting what looked to be a very ugly hat. Both looked up when he entered the room but only Belle smiled at him, Jefferson was more concerned with whatever it was he was attempting to make. The closer he got however Belle’s smile started to waiver. There was a knowing look in her eye and he began to think that changing suits was a waste of time.

“Jefferson could you give me and Domhnall a few minutes alone?”

Yeah, it was definitely a waste of time changing clothes.

Jefferson looked back and forth between the two of them a few times before mumbling something along the lines of “light was the best here” as he gathered up all his knitting supplies headed out. Belle waited until they could hear Jefferson puttering around down the hall before she turned to him with a frown on her face. “Is he even still alive?”

“What do you mean?” He knew it was a long shot to try and play it off like he didn’t know what she meant but didn’t meant he wasn’t going to try.

“Dom, there’s blood on your cane and in your hair and you are wearing a different suit than when you left. Don’t play dumb with me. Is he still alive?”

The cane, he couldn’t believe he forgot to wash off his cane. Sighing he took a seat on the table in front of her, waving off her noise of protest. “Yes, he’s alive. He’s going to be in a lot of pain for the next few weeks, but he’s alive.”

This time it was Belle’s turn to sigh, and he thought the worst was over. He was wrong.  

“What were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt! What if he reports you? If he presses charges you know the town is going to be all over you!” Belle was up and pacing around the library, clearly working herself up into a frenzy. “Why would you even think about doing this? Did you even think of the consequences? Don’t you care what could have happened to yourself?”

“No.”

His single word stopped her short. Getting up Gold walked walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I couldn’t care less what happens to me. I would do anything for you Belle.”

Belle was staring at him with tears in her eyes, he wasn’t sure if they were because of what he said or because she was still mad at what he had done. Her hands, which had been on his shoulders, started to move, one slipping up around his neck, her fingers twisting in his hair, the other down along his chest. She was getting closer to him. Her lips were inches from his when her hand came up to rest over his heart, pressing the documents that he had forced Gaston to sign against him. The realization had him pulling back and exclaiming “The flower shop!”

Belle was staring at him like she didn’t understand what had just happened as he pulled out the documents, brandishing them in front of her. “The flower shop is yours!”

Belle took the papers from him, still clearly confused as to what he was talking about, and he watched as her confusion seemed to grow as she read what he had offered her. “Gaston is giving me the flower shop?”

“Not just the flower shop. Keep reading.”

Belle flipped through pages, confusion being replaced with shock as she started to realize just what she was reading. When she looked up at him again there were once again tears in her eyes, this time he knew why though. “You did all this for me?”

“Like I said. I’d do anything for-” The rest of his sentence was cut off when Belle practically leaped into his arms, kissing him hard. Flower shops and properties could could be worried about later, right now he had the most important thing in his arms.

* * *

 

It was Tuesday and Domhnall Gold was running late. He was supposed to be at Cave of Wonders at noon for lunch with Belle but Granny’s had been backed up and now it was twelve-fifteen and he was running late.

It had been six months since Belle had taken over ownership of Game of Thrones and half of the other shops in the town. While she loved having her mother’s shop back in her family she had admitted to him that she didn’t really know what to do with the rest of the properties. It was her suggestion to sign the remaining properties over to him, though he had insisted that he pay for them, leaving her with quite the hefty sum. He however wasn’t content with leaving Belle with just the flower shop, so when it came time to for him to Belle to sign over her properties to him, he signed the book store over to Belle. Belle now happily owned both Cave of Wonders and Game of Thrones. Under Belle’s ownership and Jasmine’s management the store had done better than ever and Domhnall knew he had made the right choice.

Despite the new ownership Tuesdays still remained “their” day at Cave of Wonders. That’s when they met, it was over Tuesdays they had gotten to know each other, it was a Tuesday when he finally admitted that he had fallen in love, and today was a very special Tuesday itself. And he was running late!

It was twelve-twenty when he finally reached the shop, arms full of Granny’s food. He made sure to lock the door behind him and flip the sign to ‘closed’, he didn’t want any interruptions. He was unsurprised to find Belle nose deep in one of her books. She didn’t even look up when he came in.

“Belle?”

“Hmm. Oh I’m sorry I got busy reading while you were late,” Belle teased as she set aside her book.

“I know, I know. Granny’s had a line. Can you help me with the bags please?”

Belle rolled her eyes and came over to help him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek as she took the bags and started sorting out the food. He used the time with her back turned to pull the box he had kept hidden in his pocket all day out and kneel to the ground.

“Dom this isn’t our normal order. Did you- Oh!” Belle gasped as she turned around to see him on one knee, ring in hand.

Flushing slightly Domhnall tried to remember the words he had been practicing all week. “Belle. It’s been exactly one year since I first walked into this store and saw you buzzing about like you owned the place, now you do and you also own something more, my heart. You came into my life and changed everything you brought light where all there was darkness, warmth where all I had known was cold. You make me believe that fairytales can come true. Everyone who has loved me has left me but you have stuck by me and I want stand by you. Belle will you marry me?”

Belle was smiling and crying and then she was in his arms and they were on the floor together. “Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes.”

Now Gold was smiling as he slipped the gold claddagh ring onto her finger. He had seen the ring at his antique shop and knew right away that it was the perfect ring. He had bought it months ago, keeping it hidden at the shop until today.

Belle started laughing as he slipped the ring on to her finger, even as she traced the sapphire heart that adorned it.When he asked her what she thought was so funny she smiled, “You do realize that claddagh rings are an IRISH tradition don’t you?”

Tuesdays were never dull at the Cave of Wonders.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!


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